


So Not Done

by Hereliesbethboland



Category: Good Girls (TV)
Genre: Episode Remix, Explicit Language, F/M, Fluff and Angst, One Shot, POV Rio (Good Girls), Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-01-19
Updated: 2021-01-19
Packaged: 2021-03-14 10:13:41
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,850
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28793730
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hereliesbethboland/pseuds/Hereliesbethboland
Summary: a little 2x09 Fix-it because its what we deserve. I love you all.
Relationships: Beth Boland/Rio
Comments: 6
Kudos: 35





	So Not Done

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks to Anijade and DropKickDisco for encouragement and consulting <3
> 
> I do not own these characters

“Here’s your cut,” she says, avoiding his gaze. 

“Thought you left it at home.”

“Guess not.” 

Rio’s amused; feels prideful in an affectionate way towards her, despite the obvious wall she’s currently raising up between them. 

“Swing by tomorrow, I’ll hook you up with the funny money,” he says.

“I don’t need it,”

“Yeh but how you gonna…”

“I’m not...I’m done,” she says matter-of-factly and he’s squinting at her, confusion flitting across his face and then -- realization dawns on him fast and furious. 

“Is that right." 

“No more cash no more pills,” she says, looking at him. Rio looks away because it strikes him how easily she's making this decision, and the timing of it... _shit._

“I’m gonna take a shower, you should go." She gets up and he watches her stride to the bathroom. “It’s over.” 

Like a switch being flipped, shock and anger shoot down from his chest to his fingertips, itching to punch a wall or something. 

_What the fuck..? Who does this bitch think she is?”_

He recognizes that he's hurt and it pisses him off even more. He sits there a few more moments, collecting himself. He wants to tear into the bathroom, grab her and demand she tell him where she gets off.

Only thing is...maybe this has to do with that dumbass who took her kids. 

He thinks about their time together... all that emotion behind her eyes. Thought it was because she's goin' through some shit, missing her kids, stressed out, whatever. 

He wasn't too bad at reading her most days, but today she’d been different. Open. vulnerable. 

The way she'd looked through to his soul when he was moving inside her had reached somewhere deep and clung. He'd been affected by it; still felt it clutching his chest. 

It's the reason he's still there, leaning up against the headrest he'd just fucked her into. 

Decision made, he stands, pulling his jeans up hastily and walking over to her bathroom door. He hears the shower going but it doesn’t sound like there’s a body under the water. He brings his hand up and only hesitates a moment before knocking. 

“Elizabeth." 

There's no answer so he counts to twenty and knocks louder. 

“I said you should go,” she says and he catches the strained, off-key sound of her voice.

“Lemme in.” 

“No.” 

“I’m gonna bust the door down.” 

“Stop. Just… leave me alone. _Please._ Its the only way." 

“What’s that mean?”

Rio listens to the steady sound of the shower, anticipating any indication that she’s gonna let him in. She doesn’t answer his question so he decides _fuck it_ and reaches into his back pocket for his wallet. 

The credit card slides expertly into the crack of the door, successfully unlocking it. The door opens an inch and Rio peaks in.

Through the Lavender-scented steam, he sees her sitting with her knees drawn up and her head resting on her arms. He walks over to her and looks down, waiting for his presence to be acknowledged. Finally, she meets his questioning gaze with her own pitiful one, stretching out her legs in front of her and rearranging her robe. 

Rio moves over to the shower and turns it off, then flips the switch on the vent to clear out some of the stifling steam. He sits down next to her with his back up against the vanity. 

“What’s goin’ on Ma?” 

“He gave me an ultimatum. Said it’s either you or them. My kids.” 

_That’s it?_ He thinks, and he has to reign in his frustration at how markedly she _doesn’t_ fight for this. How quickly she's willing to give everything up. The cash. The operation. 

Him. 

And how ignorant she is to think it’s that easy. 

They aren’t _together._ This ain’t some dating situation. There’s a lot at stake here; money for one. _H_ _is money._ But despite that, it’s not the business end of it that's pissing him off.Rio barely recognizes himself these days. He huffs humorlessly at that and turns to her, taking in her profile.

She’s beautiful to the point of distraction which has been a problem from the start. He's never thought of himself as someone who could be led by a sirens song. 

Those damn pearls. 

And it hits him suddenly that she started this, not him. And it’s not that he had forgotten, but in this moment it’s more relevant than ever.

“Do you know what my first thought was when I saw your pearls hangin’ in my warehouse?” 

He watches as she closes her eyes and hears her dismissive exhale. 

He continues, “I thought, damn this bitch must be bored as hell.” 

Beth whips her head to him, and he smirks at the incredulous look she gives him. 

“Yeah, you know. I just figure you up here in this big ol’ house… husband not meetin' your needs, maybe you were interested in something else from me.”

His eyes trail down her body with extra heat now that he knows exactly what she looks like. 

“That was presumptuous of you,” she says, defending her non-existent virtue. He rolls his eyes. 

“But then when I found out you wanted to pull more jobs, I was impressed. Only knew you a short while and already you were surprisin’ me.. I got pretty good instincts. Pretty good judge of character and what not. But you can be tough to read... ” 

She's listening now. 

“.... every time I think I got a handle on you....” he continues.

“It seems like you always know what I’m thinking,” she says, contradicting his point. 

“Obviously that ain’t true. Otherwise I woulda known _that_ ,” he says, gesturing to the door. “Wasn’t some afternoon delight.” 

Beth looks down at her fidgeting fingers which twirl around the satin tie of her robe. 

“Sorry,” she says after a beat. 

“S’ Fine. But you ain’t done.” 

“So you’re taking away my choice as well?” she asks sadly.

She looks tired. Torn. He hates it. 

“You are,” he says. 

“I’m taking away my own choice?” Confusion colors her pretty features, and he sighs because he wants her to _see._

“You lose your power the moment you give in to him. Dean’s a coward. His only fight is dirty, an he know you ain’t gonna think straight if he takes your reason to live away," Rio says. 

“But… I don’t have a choice. He’s.. he has things on me. And he’s kind of _right_ , in a way.” 

“How so?” 

“It’s not safe for the kids, what we do. How we make money. I mean, right?” she asks. 

Rio shakes his head. “Depends on your perspective. Ain’t no kid safer on that playground than Marcus, I guarantee that. But see, the way you do shit? _That’s_ dangerous. You gotta commit. This is it, Elizabeth. The fork in the road. You gotta choose a path and stick to it.” 

“But you said I _can’t_ quit.” 

“Nah. I’m not keepin’ you in, baby. I’m sayin’ _you ain’t done._ You don’t wanna be.” 

“What are you talking about?” she asks, turning to him and Rio sighs.

“It ain’t gonna work, Ma, trust me I’ve tried." 

She continues staring at him in question. 

“To quit this," he continues, gesturing between them. “You think my life got any easier the day you walked into it? I've accepted it. You should too.” 

“So what now?” 

He shrugs and reaches over to tuck a stray hair behind her ear. 

“Now we fuck.”

Beth laughs and Rio’s smile widens. 

“That funny to you?” he asks. 

Her eyes are bright blue and shining from her earlier tears, but she’s smiling now and the feeling he gets from being able to turn her mood around with his teasing is both satisfying and unsettling. 

“The kids will be here soon,” she says quietly, looking into his eyes. Rio doesn’t say anything, just stares and waits for her next move. 

She surprises him by reaching over and running her hand down the side of his face. Her thumb caresses his cheekbone just as his eyes close, and in a rare move, he allows the softness of the moment to wash over him.

“What should I do about Dean?” She whispers, her hand dropping between them. 

“I’ll take care of it.” 

Rio watches surprise, panic, and doubt sweep across her face in a matter of seconds before consideration takes over. She nods. 

“Ok,” she says. 

“Ok.

He stands and reaches out to her and when she sets her small hand in his, he pulls her up. He turns the shower back on then comes to stand in front of her again; her eyes are wide and questioning but he sees something new there, too. 

Like trust, maybe. Or the beginnings of it. 

Rio lifts his hands up to grip her hair, wrapping the strawberry locks around his fingers. He tugs her head back softly and brings his lips down to hers, kissing her with purpose. 

When he pulls back, his black eyes drill into hers as his hands drift down to the sash of her robe. He unties it, then pushes the silky material off of her shoulders. She stands perfectly still as he runs his fingers down her arms, goosebumps following his touch. 

Finally his eyes leave hers and he looks at her body; watching in fascination as a blush spreads across her freckled chest. 

_Beautiful._

He thumbs the dimple in her chin. “I’ll be in touch.” 

Instead of stepping away and into the shower, she wraps her arms around his waist and lays her head against his chest. 

Rio freezes; his arms hanging limply as his brain catches up to another surprising display of affection from her. 

Despite the tension coming off her in waves, she feels warm and _so soft_ against him. A slight whimper from her propels him to wrap his arms around her as well, and as soon as he does, she melts into him. 

Rio breathes her in, rubbing his cheek and lips in her hair before pressing a soft kiss to the crown of her head. 

His heart is racing, bursting with… something intense. A need. 

To protect. 

But she ain’t a damsel and he certainly ain’t no knight in shining armor. 

No. He knows she can take care of herself. That’s exactly why he wants to protect her from anyone who tries to hold her back. 

This right here was about empowerment. And he's here for it.

_Shit feels good._

“Thank you,” she says into his chest, nose pressed there and he feels her breathing him in as well. 

************

When Beth emerges from the bathroom she notices two things. 

First, the bed has been stripped and she hears the sound of the washer running. 

Second, Rios cut is still sitting on her bedside table but it's conspicuously shorter. As she walks closer, she sees a small white card laying on top. She picks it up, reading the choppy black script.

_Consider it a loan_

She flips the card over and reads the words, smiling as understanding dawns on her. 

Gretchen Zorada 

*Attorney at Law*

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
